E-BIKES KIT CONVERSIONS

Electrically assisted bikes, trikes, etc. that are legal in the UK
minusninine
Posts: 9
Joined: 16 Jan 2020, 3:08pm

Re: E-BIKES KIT CONVERSIONS

Post by minusninine »

No, you’ve not missed anything, this is what bothered me and is in fact what came to pass. You might get lucky that either you can fit the sensor without needing a new bb, or you might have enough range in the front derailleur to cope with the move outward, but you should probably have a plan b for losing the outer ring. I don’t think you can have as big a jump between rings on a triple as you can on a double so that also complicates things even more. I’ve got a chainset with replaceable rings and will replace the outer 46 and middle 34 with a new middle 40 and outer chainguard, keeping the inner 24 ring. A 16t drop would be fine on a double setup but I don’t know if I will be able to shift that far on a triple.
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Sweep
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Joined: 20 Oct 2011, 4:57pm
Location: London

Re: E-BIKES KIT CONVERSIONS

Post by Sweep »

thanks, I think, for confirming my worst fears.
Shows at least that I haven't gone mad.
Seems a very perverse approach since I thought the whole point of a kit was to allow you to use your favoured bike.
Maybe by the time I come to need an ebike kit they will have devised some other system.
I do realise how small spindle length differences can make a big difference - on one of my builds I sorted an irritating problem by changing a 110mm spindle to a 113mm spindle.
Sweep
ChrisF
Posts: 662
Joined: 22 Mar 2014, 7:34pm

Re: E-BIKES KIT CONVERSIONS

Post by ChrisF »

I went from 112mm to 122mm, so only 5mm extra each side. Also, I'm pretty sure the motored rear axle was wider that the original (I had to splay out the triangle a little) so that would make up for the difference in chainline.
Chris F, Cornwall
Oldjohnw
Posts: 7764
Joined: 16 Oct 2018, 4:23am
Location: South Warwickshire

Re: E-BIKES KIT CONVERSIONS

Post by Oldjohnw »

Not a techie either. But I have a sensor at the front and retained the three front rings.
John
Richard D
Posts: 298
Joined: 27 Sep 2011, 6:16pm

Re: E-BIKES KIT CONVERSIONS

Post by Richard D »

Well, this thread has been pretty useful (once I’d got past most of the posts on the first three pages).

I think I’m about to jump down the same rabbit hole. My wife is very happy with her Dawes Karakum, but couldn’t dream of keeping up with me in terms of speed or distance. We'd thought about getting a tandem, but the one we want is a lot of pennies. An Ebike conversion for the Dawes might be just the ticket, though.

I’m looking at the Tongsheng motor, with a rack-mounted battery (as I cannot see how to fit one on her DT). The mid-drive motor means losing the FD, though - has anyone gone this route and found they’ve missed not having a FD?
Trikesnbikes
Posts: 39
Joined: 1 Apr 2020, 3:37pm

Re: E-BIKES KIT CONVERSIONS

Post by Trikesnbikes »

Just the opposite. After a lifetime accumulating expertise in setting up and using triple chainsets I am very happy with one chainring on my Tongshen conversion.
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willcee
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Joined: 14 Aug 2008, 11:30pm
Location: castleroe,co.derryUlster

Re: E-BIKES KIT CONVERSIONS

Post by willcee »

Interesting reading.. there are 2 schools of thought here in my experience having build over 30 kits, and my own 2 personal machines are both drop barred, one is mentioned on here its a Orbea TYPE Mahle X 35 hub in a WHYTE gravel orientated frameset, the other is Ridley Frameset could be used as a tourer cyclecross or gravel machine it was one that was new but appeared to be a sample frameset which could run cantis or disc...I run a Bafang mid motor in it. yes the Whyte has a double chainset hollowtek2 Ultegra with the split sensor held fast against the inner ring crank area with black silicone, and it was reset as a 34 inner while the outer is 52 Needed on the hubbed bike because its weedy compared to any Bafang torque wise.. in my mind when using either TDZ or Bafang a single ring is the only one required, yes, but gear size it to your area and hills.
I use thick thin 4 bolts alloy rings either 44/46/48/ or 50... with an 11 sp 11/32 and usually only running on bottom half of the cassette11 13 15 17 19 21.. ..
I needed the big sprockets a month or 2 ago when a battery that i had used since 2018 started to feel its age at 47 miles in and i had 8 miles on various undulating country byways sans power with a 50 T ring.. so its 2 rings if you think you'll be using leg power to get home or 1 if you have torque and a good strong battery....will
zenitb
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Joined: 7 Aug 2018, 9:59pm
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Re: E-BIKES KIT CONVERSIONS

Post by zenitb »

Richard D wrote: 25 May 2021, 6:42pm .... We'd thought about getting a tandem, but the one we want is a lot of pennies. An Ebike conversion for the Dawes might be just the ticket, though......
... sounds great Richard but I would get the tandem as well :-) I love the way we can just talk to one another when we fancy rather than only when there are no cars behind trying to pass...the whole thing is a closer experience for us. I have been genuinely surprised how much my wife has taken to tandem riding later in life...with today's schedules it's sometimes been the only window we get for a really relaxed chat together.. even if its just the oast house we have just passed and the history of oast houses, or something else equally inconsequential !! People vary but surely worth a try on the tandem together (hire??) ? ... I know .. thread drift :-( .. I'll shut up now :-) (come friendly mods and delete this if its off topic!!!)
The tandem life ...
The tandem life ...
Anyway - best of luck with the electric conversion .. I would be keen to hear how it goes. This thread is making me want to change one of my fleet and has already got me looking round the Whooosh!!!! site. Who knows, we might electrify the tandem :-)
Richard D
Posts: 298
Joined: 27 Sep 2011, 6:16pm

Re: E-BIKES KIT CONVERSIONS

Post by Richard D »

Did the conversion to my wife's bike last night. Looks and feels good (went for a Tongsheng torque-sensing bottom bracket motor - not as good as something like a Bosch Steps unit, but better than a hub motor).

Only problem (completely unrelated to the ebike conversion) is that the front tyre does NOT want to stay on the rim (I suspect that the wife has ridden on the rims with flat tyres, damaging them). I don’t want her (or even me) using her bike until I’ve sorted that (please don’t make me buy a new wheel ….)
hemo
Posts: 1438
Joined: 16 Nov 2017, 5:40pm
Location: West Sussex

Re: E-BIKES KIT CONVERSIONS

Post by hemo »

One suspects that a hub motor will be far more reliable and outlast the Tongsheng.
stodd
Posts: 705
Joined: 6 Jun 2018, 10:24am

Re: E-BIKES KIT CONVERSIONS

Post by stodd »

hemo wrote: 13 Jun 2021, 9:50am One suspects that a hub motor will be far more reliable and outlast the Tongsheng.
Probably true. For example and by chance, I saw this posted earlier today.
https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/thread ... dz2.41325/

General opinion on the Pedelecs forum is in favour of hub gears for commuting; mainly for reliability.
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